Remembrance
by OnceUponALullaby
Summary: Meet Haruno Sakura, part of the elite force of assassins known as the Root ANBU. Meet Haruno Sakura, high school student with amnesia. As the year goes on, she learns some secrets about her past, which enable her to make decisions in the future. SasuSaku.
1. Partner in Crime

Chapter 1: Partner-in-Crime

Beep. Beep. Beep. Be-

Crash.

"What the-" the girl looked down at the smashed alarm clock on her side table. She blinked.

"Oh god." She screamed. "_Dad!_ How could you?"

She leapt out of bed, hastily brushing her long pink hair. Throwing on the first items of clothing she saw, she hastily brushed her teeth before grabbing her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder.

She ran down the stairs, only stopping to yell, "Dad, why did you let me sleep in! I'm going to be late!"

"Well, I was walking home after an early morning walk when a black cat came and-" he looked around. She was already gone. He sighed, before making himself some coffee. _Well, so much for that._

She ran out the door, stopping before an impressive black motorcycle with a design of sakura petals trailing over the side. "Hey there, baby," she cooed, before slinging her leg over the bike and revving it up. She rode without a helmet, and she speeded along before coming to a halt, scratching the bike ever so slightly on a shiny Audi Coupe.

"Watch it!" she screamed, before shooting off again.

Screeching to a halt at the school grounds, she did a neat hop off the bike, before running into another boy, tackling him to the ground.

"Sai!" she screamed, hugging the boy. As she continued hugging him, Sai was steadily turning blue.

"Can't… breathe…" he choked.

"Oh, sorry." She let go of him, rubbing her head in embarrassment.

"I hate you, Ugly," he muttered.

She beamed. "I love you too, Bastard!"

Then she noticed the blond sitting next to Sai. "Hey, what's _your_ name?" she said enthusiastically.

The blond stared. It wasn't every day your best friend got hugged to death by an insanely attractive woman with _pink hair_. "Is your hair for real?" he blurted, before covering his mouth with a look of horror on his face.

"One hundred percent! I'm Haruno Sakura, nice to meet you!"

"Uzumaki Naruto, at your service!" she hugged him hello, while he gave Sai a thumbs up behind her back. Then, Sakura's attitude did a complete one-eighty.

"Bastard!" she screamed, punching Naruto in the face. He fell against a tree.

"Jesus, woman, you punch like an ox-" seeing the vein ticking in her forehead, he stopped before she could do any lasting damage. "How do you know Sai?" he questioned hastily, changing the subject.

"Are you kidding me? He's been my partner-in-crime for the last three years!" Naruto sighed. Again with the cheery attitude. Was this girl bipolar or what?

* * *

"Did you see that girl?"

"I think I'm in love, un!"

"Itachi, what is that idiot talking about."

"Stop giving your questions inflections that belong solely to statements. A girl passed by not too long ago and scratched our car."

Kisame snickered. "She was hot, though."

"Odd hair color though, wasn't it, Sasuke?" Itachi stared cryptically at his younger brother.

"What color?"

"Pink."

There was a crash as the glass in Sasuke's hand fell to the ground.

* * *

"So, so what? I am a rock star! I got my rock moves! And I don't neeeeeed you! And guess what, I'm havin' more fun, and now that we're done; I'm gonna shoooow you tonight! I'm all right! I'm just fine! And you're a tool, so, so what? I am a rock star, I got my rock moves, and I don't waaaant you tonight!" Sakura sang along to her iPod, dancing in front of a shocked crowd. She turned around, just noticing her audience. "Uh, nothing to see here people!" she muttered, embarrassed.

When nobody moved she screamed, "I _said_ there's nothing to see!" and gave a satisfied smirk as the crowd scattered.

"Sakura…" she looked around to see a dark-haired boy step out of a familiar Audi Coupe. He looked at her ring finger, and saw a silver band inlaid with diamonds. _So, she has kept it after all these years…_

He expected her to come running to him, but instead she gave the exact opposite reaction.

"You! You're the owner of that stupid Audi Coupe! You scratched my bike! And how do you know my name?" she shrieked, hiding behind Sai's back.

Naruto burst out laughing at Sasuke's look of consternation. "Ahahaha!" gasp. "Sasuke-teme just got owned by a girl!"

Sasuke walked up to Sakura. "You…" _She doesn't remember me. She really doesn't remember me!_

Inwardly, he started hyperventilating. That's right. Play it smooth.

"I _what?_" she glared.

"You… I… You know what? Forget it." Sasuke stomped off.

"What was that about?" Naruto asked.

"I've never seen Emo Boy act like that before," Sai noticed.

"He's probably just PMSing," Sakura surmised, shrugging. "Come on. Introduce me to your friends. Now."

* * *

He punched the wall before him, not caring that the hard stone shredded the skin on his knuckles. _She doesn't remember… Why won't she remember?_

_A fourteen-year-old Sakura laughed, swinging higher and higher into the air as Sasuke pushed her._

"_Sakura," Sasuke called._

_She dug her feet into the ground, stopping the swing. "Yes, Sasuke-kun?"_

"_Here." He held out a box, embarrassed._

_She opened it, and she found a gleaming silver ring with a pattern of diamonds inlaid on it. Written on the inside of the ring were the words "I love you"._

"_It's beautiful!" she gasped._

"_Here," he took her hand, and slipped the ring onto her finger. "This is my promise, okay? When we're old enough I'll get you a real ring, and we can marry right after, all right? I love you, never forget that."_

_She hugged him, and then they kissed. As they separated, she said, "I love you too, Sasuke-kun. Why would I forget?"_

"_I don't know," he replied. "I just have a really bad feeling."_

_They spent the rest of the day at the park, and when Sakura was going home Sasuke called after her, "Never forget! No matter what happens, I'll always love you!"_

"_I won't!" she had said back._

_Then the next day, her parents were murdered.

* * *

_

"H-How did you get that ring?" Hinata murmured.

Naruto and Sai had introduced her to the people in her new class. They sat in groups of three, and the first group had Aburame Shino, a bug nerd, Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru, a dog lover and his dog, and Hyuuga Hinata, a shy girl who, Sakura had found out, had a crush on Naruto.

The next group had Tenten, a girl who Sakura found had much in common with her when it came to fighting, Hyuuga Neji, Hinata's ice block of a cousin and Tenten's boyfriend, and Rock Lee, a boy who had asked Sakura out a total of five times already and whom Sakura found downright odd.

Then there was Nara Shikamaru, an extremely lazy but intelligent boy, Akimichi Chouji, who never separated from his potato chip bag, and Yamanaka Ino, who had already claimed Sakura as her new best friend.

Finally, there was her, Naruto, Sai, and Sasuke. They were the only group of four because of the odd number of kids in class.

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Sakura smiled weakly. "The last thing I remember was when I was fourteen. I woke up in a hospital, and the doctor said my parents had been murdered. Apparently I was there when it happened, and when I tried to escape I got hit by a car. I had been in a coma for a week, and the doctor said I had amnesia. I didn't even know my name." She smiled sadly, and then frowned. "I woke up with the ring on my finger. I don't know when I got it, or who gave it to me, but I kept it because it connected me to my past. Right after I left the hospital, Kakashi adopted me and we moved to Sunagakure. But now I'm here!" she spread her arms out wide and faked a smile.

_"You left out the part where Kakashi turned out to be an assassin and how he trained you to be one,"_Inner Sakura snickered.

"How did you meet Sai?" Ino asked.

_"__We met him in Root ANBU three years ago on an important mission where we had to use our sniper skills to kill a dangerous S-class criminal," _Inner Sakura supplied.

"We, uh, met in art school." Sakura looked at Sai for confirmation and he nodded almost imperceptibly.

"All right, Shrimps! Enough chat time, I'm going to work you all to death now!" their teacher Mitarashi Anko proclaimed, whacking her pointer stick across the flat of her palm.

"W-Wait! I have one more question!" Ino said. "Forehead girl… You don't remember me at all?"

Sakura stared. "Should I? And _what_ did you just call me?"

"N-No! You used to be my best friend! You used to call me Ino-pig and we would fight and have sleepovers and you would work with me in my flower shop. you don't remember _any_ of it? What about Sasuke-kun? You must remember him!" Ino cried, tears swimming in her baby blue eyes.

"Sasuke?" Sakura whirled around to face him. "I used to know you?"

"I- Yeah." _That's why she doesn't remember. She has amnesia._

"Were we friends?"

"…No." He looked at his feet, refusing to meet Ino's accusing look.

"Oh… I thought maybe…" she looked down at her ring, not finishing her sentence. "Never mind. It doesn't matter."


	2. The Thrill of the Chase

Chapter 2: The Thrill of the Chase

"I am an arms dealer, fitting yo-ou with wea-pons in the form of wo-o-o-o-ords!" Tenten plugged her iPod into the car, and started singing along to her favorite song. They were riding back from school in Sakura's sleek black convertible. The top was down, and Sakura and Hinata were in the front seats, while Ino and Tenten were in the back seats, leaning forward with their arms hanging over the seats in front of them. They were all chatting and (in Tenten's case) singing along to the music.

"Tenten, shut _up_!" Ino complained, throwing a Cheerio at Tenten's head.

"Jesus, what's _your_ issue?" Tenten retorted.

"You sound like a dying whale!"

Tenten growled. "Say that again. If you do, when you least expect it, you'll turn around and find a fork in your neck."

Ino shook her head. "Okay, jeez."

When she thought Tenten wasn't looking, she stuck out her tongue and pulled down her bottom eyelid, making a face at Tenten. After she was done doing that, she leaned forward, to whisper in Hinata's ear, "PMS much?"

Hinata just giggled at her friends' antics and patted Ino's head in a cheerful manner.

Ino withdrew to the back seat, grumbling about how nobody treated her with respect anymore.

* * *

"Aw! Hell naw!" Naruto shouted. He leaned to the left, and started pounding every inch of Sasuke he could reach.

"Unless you want me to crash this car, you'd better stop, Dobe!" Sasuke snapped.

"You stole my ramen, teme!" Naruto screeched into Sasuke's ear. "How could you?" he started to fake-sob. "I trusted you!"

"What? I gave them to Shikamaru."

"Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru woke up, blinking groggily at Naruto. "What? Oh, yeah. I, uh, ate them. Cloud watching. Got hungry. Yeah. Too troublesome to explain." He slumped back against the window.

Neji chuckled. "Your limo is rather small, isn't it, Uchiha?" he looked around at the leather interior and the mini-fridge.

"What, yours is bigger?"

"Yup. Mine has _two_ mini-fridges," Neji boasted smugly.

Sasuke beat back the urge to bang his head against the dashboard.

"Hey, is that… Hinata-chan!" Naruto yelled, pointing out the window at Sakura's car. Catching Neji's glare, he corrected himself. "I mean, er… Look! Hinata-chan!"

If looks could kill, Naruto would be dead a thousand times over.

Sasuke glared at Sakura through the tinted window. How could she be singing along, and laughing? Oh, right. Because _her_ life was perfect. Blissfully unaware of what had happened before she lost her memory. Yeah. A perfect life. He snorted. As if such a thing existed. _His_ parents had been murdered when he was eight, leaving him with his stupid older brother, who was in a gang. The _Akatsuki_. Now he had to deal with that blue fish-thing and the blond pyro in his life. Plus, the blond looked like a girl. What an idiot. And all because of his stupid brother, now _he_ was in a gang too, a ridiculous thing called the ANBU, which stood for something he didn't care to remember. I mean, they had made him get a freaking _tattoo, _or else they wouldn't let him join! Che.

He stopped his mini-rant and pulled over by the park to pick up his brother and his friends. The blue shark-man stepped into the car, grinning predatorily at Sasuke. And then, after Itachi and Sasori, the blond got in.

"Eh? Whoa! Ino-chan! Where did you get that jacket? I want one!" Naruto exclaimed, ogling Deidara's red-over-black jacket. It had a cloud design on it, and it was the symbol for the Akatsuki.

Deidara twitched. As this was going on, Kisame, Itachi, and Sasori had calmly scooted over the other side of the limo. "…I am _not_ a girl, un!" Deidara shrieked, stomping his foot.

"So you're a boy then?" Naruto turned to Sasuke. "Did you know Ino-chan was a guy? I didn't."

"My name is _Deidara!_ I am a _guy!_ Why does everyone insist I look like a chick?" he seethed, trying to strangle Naruto.

"Well then, no harm taken, right Ino- I mean, Deidara-san!" Naruto said, patting the other man's blond hair.

"Ugh! I have to redo my hair now!" Deidara hissed, frantically patting all the loose strands into place.

"Oh, right, sorry about that-"

"Just get _away_ from me!" he bitch-shoved Naruto to the other side of the car.

"Owww," he whined.

"Is he for real?" Sasuke muttered.

"Unfortunately," Kisame grumbled. "You know, he insists he's not gay, but I know for a fact he was making out with Sasori at that party last week-"

"I was drunk, and clearly out of my mind. Like I would ever go for an egotistical jerk-wad like Sasori-danna!" Deidara exclaimed hotly.

Sasori raised an eyebrow on his normally impassive face. "Is that so? That wasn't what you told me at that party-"

"Details," Deidara waved his hands around hastily.

"Remind me why I'm friends with you guys again?" Neji said in a bored tone. He glanced at Sasuke, who was driving dejectedly along the road.

"Because you looove us!" Naruto sang.

"Out of the car, Dobe. _Now_," Sasuke growled, as he forcefully ejected a crying Naruto onto the doorstep of his apartment.

"So mean, Sasu-chan!" Kisame teased. "You sent the guy away in tears! I have never been more proud to call you my annoying little brother that I never ever wanted."

"I'm not too fond of you either, Fish-face," Sasuke growled back.

After Sasuke dropped off Neji and Shikamaru, he headed back to the Uchiha compound with the Akatsuki in tow.

"Sasuke, you have a mission from the ANBU. Just to make that clear," Itachi said.

"Those ANBU idiots? Puh-lease. The Akatsuki is so much better," Kisame said.

"Opinions beg to differ," Sasori intoned quietly.

"Just make sure you're ready. You leave at six."

"Okay."

* * *

"Are you ready?" she heard her father call to her in a soft voice.

"Yeah," she replied. She was dressed in a long black cloak, with a tight-fitting black shirt and black spandex shorts underneath. She had two katana strapped to her back, and a pistol attached to the belt holding her pants up.

"What sort is it today?" she asked.

"Tsuruda Kyo. He was involved in six well-publicized murders. He raped and killed six teenage girls between the ages of fourteen and eighteen."

She hissed in delight. "Excellent."

Rape cases were always her favorite. Knowing there were people who would take advantage of a girl like that… it made her blood boil. The best part was seeing the fear on the man's face, his expression mirroring that of his victims just before he died. Justice.

"There'll be two others with you. Sai, and a rookie who joined recently."

She scoffed. "I don't need a newbie. Hell, I don't even need _Sai's_ help."

"It's _precautionary_."

"Okay, Kakashi-sensei," she sighed. She called him sensei when in ANBU mode, because he had taught her everything she knew about assassins and their techniques. "Well, I'm off."

She gave him a two-fingered salute, before hopping onto her motorcycle and speeding off.

He sighed. _Teenagers and their dramatic ways.

* * *

_

Jumping off her bike, Sakura leapt nimbly onto the roof of the building that was the designated meeting spot. Sai was already there, and was sitting cross-legged on the roof, drawing the stars. The newbie was a few yards to the left, sitting nonchalantly with his legs dangling off the roof, arms on his knees in a brooding pose.

"Sai!" she exclaimed, running and hugging the boy in a tackle.

"Get off me, you hag! You weigh a ton!"

"Touché, you man-bitch!" she exclaimed happily, slapping the boy on the back so hard he almost toppled off the building.

"Are you going to stop goofing around and get to work?" a cold, detached voice floated from the corner the newbie was in.

"Fine," she replied, her voice instantly hardening. "If you want to get going, I suggest you get off your ass and follow me, _newbie_."

* * *

It was a girl. That much he could tell. Worst of all, it sounded like a _stupid_ girl. The kind of girl whose ear you could look into and wave to your friend on the other side. And worse still, the stupid girl was _ordering him around_. When he had asked her name, she had said, "Call me Red." Yeah. Red. Uh _huh_. So, being the conceited bastard he was, he blurted back, "Blue."

Thus making his codename up on the spot. _Real smooth, Sasuke. You picked such a dorky name, too!_ he mentally berated himself.

And then, the girl had the gall to turn around and act like he _wasn't _doing her a favor by telling her his name.

"Hurry up," she stated rudely. "Our target is leaving the premises."

He nodded slightly, glaring at her through his mask, and they jumped down off the top of the building.

She crept up to the guy, and while she normally killed painlessly and quietly, the girl was already too riled up from fighting that "Blue guy" to care. He watched as she drew a pistol from her belt, eyes hidden underneath her hood. Tapping the man on the back of the shoulder, he turned around, eyes widening in fear. In Sasuke's opinion, she looked like an angel of death, her hood casting shadows over her eyes, holding a pistol to the man's head.

Slowly, the gun in her hand rose, pointing at the man's heart. Quaking in fear, he drew a knife and desperately fought for the right to live, swinging it and cutting through the girl's arm. "Red" pulled the trigger, and the man dropped silently to the ground. Only then did she fall too, hissing in pain and she felt around the damaged area. The sword had cut through muscle and tissue, but she amazed Sasuke further by simply placing her hand on the wound, and it slowly closed up. Now all that remained was a thin pink line, looking weeks old instead of seconds.

She got up, apparently in a horrible mood, and turned to Sasuke. "Please put your eyes back in your head so we can continue back," she hissed.

He flushed slightly as he realized she knew he was staring. The boy behind her chuckled. "Come on, Ugly. The Dickless Wonder will be missing us."

She nodded slightly, and took off into the night, with the boy trailing behind her.

And then, Sasuke looked around, wondering why the hell he was still here. And more importantly, who the girl was. He hadn't met someone like that since, well, _Sakura._ But Sakura was out of the picture. Out of bounds. Untouchable.

He sat there until it started to rain.


	3. When the World Came Crashing Down

Chapter 3: When the World Came Crashing Down

_Pain. That was the first thing I felt._

_Slowly waking up, I heard something beep._

_It was the sound of a heart monitor, ticking down the last seconds before death._

_Suddenly, the pain exploded, intensified; burning through my veins, tearing through my mind. I shot up, clutching my head, as memories ran through my mind. Blood and death, death and blood. Eyes snapped open, stared straight into the face of a boy. His face was gaunt, haggard, as though he had lived a thousand years of misery and pain. He leaned forward, whispering in a broken voice._

"_It's gonna be okay, Sakura. It's gonna be okay."_

_Suddenly, it was all gone, a blank slate, and I fell backward, unconscious._

"_**It's all going to be okay."

* * *

**_

I woke up, screaming. Screaming so loudly, I felt my lungs were going to burst. Remembering that face, thin and pale. Remembering the voice, that horribly hoarse, tired voice.

"_It's all going to be okay."

* * *

_

That day at school, something was wrong. And everyone could tell.

"_What's wrong with her?"_

"_I heard her boyfriend dumped her."_

"_Idiot! She doesn't have a boyfriend!"_

"_Because she got dumped! Duh!"_

The whispers carried throughout the school, indistinct murmurs running through the throng of students like an electric current. They were all wondering about the same thing: _What was wrong with Haruno Sakura?_ That vibrant, happy girl they knew was gone, replaced by this silent, cold version. Gone was the joking, the teasing, and the flirting. Sucked out, replaced by this empty shell. Something was horribly, horribly wrong.

* * *

Voices curled around me, fading into the background. Blurred faces surrounded me, staring and whispering. All unimportant. Negligible. All unnoticed. All gone. I rushed through my classes in a daze, just going through the motions. Drowning. Drowning in the never-ending, unchangeable pain. That dream, that _memory_, it had served as a sort of trigger point. Now the memories were flooding back, swirling through my head to the point of making me nauseous. But not all of it. Only bits and pieces. It wasn't enough. It would never be enough.

_Flash._

A little blonde girl, picking flowers with me in a large field.

_Flash._

A woman with light purple hair, kissing me on the forehead as she tucked me in at night.

_Flash_.

A small, dark-haired boy, holding a cautious hand out for me to take.

_Flash_.

An unknown man, hugging me and kissing me softly.

_Flash_.

Me sitting in a dark room, terrified, covered in blood. The man, a faceless killer, reaching out toward me to kill me, to make sure there would be no witnesses to his crime. I ran, out into the street, before hearing a screech, a honk, and seeing a bright flash of light before passing out on the street.

_Flash_.

I do not know when I started dreaming, the difference between dreams and the memories were little to me. Suddenly, I was in a black and white world, unable to move.

A man, no, _Sasuke_, came up to me. He held a silver gun, no emotion on his face. Terrified, I tried to move, but was paralyzed, and would not budge. He brought the gun up to the side of my head. Staring into his dark, emotionless eyes, the irony of it all reminded me of a game. Predator and prey. He was the cat and I was the mouse. I was not meant to survive.

"It's going to be okay, Sakura, everything will be okay," he whispered, as I realized all-t0o-late it was him I saw in the dream.

It ran like a mantra in my head, a death chant. _Everything will be okay, everything will be okay_.

A flash, a deafening bang, a sick splatter of blood, and everything went black.

* * *

Something was wrong. It had started when she came to school. Of course I worried. I mean, she _used_ to be my girlfriend.

First of all, she was all pale when she came to school today. During English she came in, sat down, and stared out the window like some sort of zombie. Full on brain-dead. A freaking _vegetable. _And then, you know, she fell asleep. And started... twitching. Or rather... screaming. Well... well it wasn't pretty, all right? So Naruto and I went and took her to the health center (because the stupid teacher's to busy writing his porn to notice anyways. Nothing gets done in our class).

When we got there, it got _worse_. She started gagging and twitching and doing all this crazy shit you wouldn't _believe_. Then, this crazy nurse named Shizune came and said she was having a sort of panic attack.

Did you know Sakura has a tattoo? I saw the tip of it under the sleeve of her shirt when we were carrying her. When did she get a tattoo? Isn't that illegal? Like, all that "underage" crap?

Then again, _I_ have a tattoo. Sue me.

When I was visiting, Naruto came up to me and started ranting about why I didn't tell "his Sakura-chan" that she used to be my girlfriend. I punched him. Then I sat him down in the chair next to her bed, and tried to call the teacher to let him know we'd be staying with Sakura. Suddenly, as I reached for the phone, big green eyes started staring at me, stopping me mid-reach. She looked so pale and weak... So helpless.

On instinct, I reached down and _kissed her on the cheek_. So much for the out-of-bounds rule. She blinked slowly, before sending a questioning glance my way. Aw, shit.


	4. Lies

Chapter 4: Lies

Grumpily, she shrugged off her blue blazer before dumping it on a couch. It had been three days since she remembered the murder of her parents. That memory was the clearest, accompanied by little flashes of other times. But the murder was the only one she could remember fully, and it was taking a toll on her. She could no longer sleep properly, for she had nightmares whenever she tried to get rest; seeing her parents die over and over, before transforming into her friends dying. She was no longer as efficient as an assassin; the energy it took to move quickly and kill taxed her of most of her strength. She had lost a few pounds, and her eyes had dark bruises under them from lack of sleep and the will to eat.

Sasuke had all but forced her to come eat dinner at his house with him and his brother, and he insisted she bring Kakashi as well. In her mind, it was all a big pain in the butt. I mean, she wouldn't even be friends with Sasuke if it wasn't for Naruto. What was wrong with being nice once in a while?

Obviously a lot, according to Sasuke.

On a good point, she did have to admit her dress kicked butt. It was a blood-red strapless dress with black heels, going down to mid-thigh length. There was a black ribbon going around her waist, and a ribbon choker for her neck. When she put the outfit on, she could have easily passed as twenty instead of seventeen.

"Dad, hurry up!" she called, lazily patting a strand of hair into place.

"I'll meet you there!" came the muffle reply, followed by a suspicious-sounding bang. "Take the motorcycle!"

"Fine, fine." She headed out towards the back door, self-conscious of the fact that she was wearing a dress with nothing but spandex underneath. Swinging onto her bike, she sped off to Sasuke's house.

* * *

"Yo, kids! Sorry I'm late, but there was this penguin, and he looked like he needed help, so…" Kakashi's voice dwindled off as he noticed that Sasuke and Sakura had been sitting awkwardly at separate ends of the couch.

Sakura crossed her arms threateningly. "You were supposed to be here an hour ago!"

He shrugged. "Still, that's pretty good, when you're talking about me. I remember that one time when I was two hours late, you know, on that mission in Iwa-"

Sakura punched her other palm threateningly.

_I see, so he doesn't know of the ANBU…_

Kakashi coughed awkwardly.

"Anyways, I…" he went through a short pause before noticing exactly who he was looking at. _Hey, isn't that the Uchiha kid…?_

He bristled suddenly. "Sakura, can I talk to Uchiha alone for a second?"

She groaned, thinking he was going to give Sasuke the overprotective dad talk. "Fine. But hurry. I'm giving you five minutes."

As she backed out of the room, Kakashi hissed quietly while Sasuke tried to figure out what he had done to make Sakura's dad hate him already.

"Why are you here? Why are you back in her life?" Kakashi glared.

"…Excuse me?" Sasuke said, bewildered.

"You think I don't know who you are? Uchiha Sasuke, recent additive to the Konoha ANBU, all family deceased except for an older brother, Uchiha Itachi, whom you now live with. I know everything about you. I know you used to date Sakura, don't pretend it isn't true!" he said mockingly, a horrible, twisted smirk on his face.

"You know about the ANBU?" Sasuke whispered. "And Sakura? You know she was my girlfriend?"

"Of course I know about the ANBU, boy, I'm one of the captains! And yes, of course I know about Sakura! I remember how you broke her heart, poisoned it with all the pain, with all of your _lies_. Don't you think you've ruined enough for Sakura? I thought I'd see the last of you when they let her out of the ER!" he let out a choked laugh.

"All you're doing is causing her more pain! Every time she looks at you, she remembers, but she doesn't realize it! It's tearing her apart from the inside, because she doesn't know why she feels this way every time you walk into the room! Endless amounts of guilt, and pain, and God knows what else! Do you want her to suffer like that?"

"I love her," he protested.

Kakashi sneered, his face twisting into a horrible, mocking grimace. "And that's exactly why you two can never be together."

* * *

After that fateful encounter with Sakura's dad, I remembered. Boy, did I remember. Waiting for Sakura to come back down, I sat on the couch, waiting. I let my memories replay themselves. It was strange, like I was watching from the sidelines, seeing a younger version of me from an outsider's point of view.

_It was fall, 2005._

_A month before, I had left Konoha High to go to another school, a private one for only the richest, smartest children. Oto Prep. At that school, I immediately joined the popular crowd, with three other students, the strongest, scariest kids in school. Karin, Suigetsu, and Juugo. They were all I had during that month of insanity._

_Karin's clingy attitude annoyed me to no end, but she reminded me of Sakura, and so she stayed. The same happened with Suigetsu and Naruto, with their snarky remarks and doubtful intelligence. Juugo was there because of how much he reminded me of myself, when I would go into a black rage and destroy everything in my path. I was just lucky to have some sort of control over that dark power; Juugo's was unrestrained and wild. And these people were all I had left, these shadows of the friends I once had._

_A week after this, the principle, Orochimaru, started paying extra attention to me. A few days later, and he asked me to join his gang. It was so incredibly ironic, because Karin, Suigetsu, and Juugo were all in that same gang. Once I agreed, I was thrust into a world of violence, cruelty, fighting, and drugs. One particularly strong memory I have of that long week was when I was with the gang._

_There was a man, part of the underground chain who sold drugs. He refused to accept what we offered to pay for some of them, so Orochimaru sent us to rough him up. When we got to his house, we found he had escaped, leaving his ten-year-old son. I felt lots of pent up rage coursing through me, anger at the victim for running away, anger for Sakura and Naruto for not understanding my reason for leaving. My vision blacked out, and the next thing I know, the boy was dead. And even though his face is long forgotten, his screams stood out, as well as the blood as it painted a picture on the canvas of the sky. These details will always haunt me, all the way to my dying day. Because I was only fourteen, and I was already a monster.

* * *

_

Upstairs, Sakura wandered around, wondering what Sasuke and Kakashi were talking about. She stumbled upon what looked like a library, filled with dusty books and leather armchairs. She figured if she was bored, she'd do it in style, so she grabbed a book at random before settling down in a comfy chair. The book was heavy and gold-colored, with an elaborate design bordering the cover. It had no title but there was a small date inscribed in the lower-right hand corner that read "1995-?" She opened the book eagerly, unaware of the pair of eyes watching from the dark corner of the room.

* * *

Okay, so I know it isn't polite to take things without asking, but come on, Sasuke was asking for it! It's been what now, ten minutes? I gave him a limit of _five_. And, as you know, I, Haruno Sakura, do not enjoy being bored. Which gave me a perfectly logical reason to go snooping around Sasuke's house and stealing his books.

So I opened the book, cursing Kakashi and his habit of being late all the while. And boy was I in for a surprise. The book turned out to be an album, and the first two pictures in it sent my blood rushing through my veins in something equivalent to extreme curiosity and pre-heart attack symptoms.

The first of the two adjacent pages had a picture of a dark-haired boy smiling up at the camera, clinging to the back of an older teenager who looked an awful lot like the boy. A grim, unsmiling man stood slightly to the left of them, and to the right was a kind-looking woman with one hand on the smaller boy's head. The caption underneath it read "The Uchiha family, 1995".

Okay, so that was pretty normal… after all, I had gotten it from Sasuke's house. Of course he had family pictures in the album! But it wasn't this picture that shocked me; it was the one on the page next to it. Because that picture showed a young girl, standing next to her mother and father with a look of wonder in her eyes. She wore a red sundress, and was sitting on her father's shoulders, playing with a lock of her hair. Her mom was standing next to them, her light purple hair swaying slightly from a breeze. The caption underneath read "Haruno family, 1995".

* * *

As I waited, deep within the shadows of the library, I watched this girl, reading the album that told the story of her life. I could see the tears, trailing down her face; saw those lips, quivering with emotions. I couldn't wait, couldn't wait to break this girl, to watch her crumble before my very eyes. Couldn't wait to finish the job I started three years ago. I couldn't wait to taste her tears, listen to her screams before she joined her parents.

Indeed, Haruno Sakura, I will enjoy breaking you.

* * *

Sickened, I flipped through the book. There were hundreds of pictures in there, showing moments of Sasuke's childhood and mine.

Me on Halloween, dressed as princess while sitting next to Sasuke, who was dressed up as a tomato. _(October, 1995)_

Us on Easter, holding colorful eggs up to the camera. _(April, 1996)_

Me, crying, while Sasuke hugged me, drying my tears with a handkerchief. _(February, 1997)_

Sasuke, on the first day of elementary school. _(August, 1997)_

Me, on Christmas day, holding up a silver-lined present. Sasuke smiled in the background, and my parents were talking with his. _(December, 1998)_

Sasuke with his older brother, whom the captions stated as Itachi. _(March, 1999)_

An obviously depressed Sasuke, wearing all black, standing next to my mom, who was crying. _(Mikoto and Fugaku's funeral, November, 1999)_

Me, sitting on the swings in the park, with orange and gold-colored leaves swirling around me. _(August, 2003)_

I skipped through each year, before coming to a halt on the last photo in the book.

Sasuke was kissing me, and I embraced him back, silhouetted against the dim orange of a sunset. _(July, 2005)_

Then, in the back of the book, there was a little felt pouch. When I reached inside the pouch, two rings fell out. Wedding rings.

So that was it! At the health room… My face grew red as I thought about the implications that one kiss on the forehead had meant. My brain re-wound itself to that moment in the health room.

_Groggily, I opened my eyes. Someone was there… I blinked a bit, his foggy outline becoming clearer._

Is that Sasuke? Wow… he doesn't really seem like the type to be huddling over my sickbed… _The image made me want to laugh out loud. And boy, was that a big mistake. Note to self: Laughing after getting over a potentially traumatic experience? Not fun._

_Smiling softly, as though on reflex, Sasuke slowly leaned forward and kissed my forehead._

Did he just do what I think he did?

_"Sasuke?" I questioned sleepily._

_Shaking his head slightly, he seemed to rouse from whatever daydream he was in. "Sa-Sakura, I-"_

_I glared at him slightly. "What was the meaning of that?"_

_"I'm sorry, Sakura, I-I mean, I have to go. Sorry."_

_He got up, bowed, and left the room, blushing furiously._

_I raised my hand to my forehead, poking it slightly. _Sasuke…

I had never been angrier in my life. Everything I had known was a lie. How many people had known of Sasuke's relationship and mine? More importantly, how many people had not informed me of it? My throat felt dry, as I painfully tried to swallow the lump in it that had appeared out of nowhere. But mostly, my anger was directed toward Sasuke. Sasuke. That lying, cheating, inconsiderate _bastard_! Not friends_ my ass_! I felt the rage I was prided for as an assassin come over me, stealing my breath and clouding my vision. All coherent thought promptly flew out of my mind, leaving only one plan. _Escape.

* * *

_

Fascinated, I watched Sakura grow angrier and angrier. I saw her rashly unlatch the window before neatly flipping out. As she ran off into the night, I followed quietly.

_Yes, Sakura-chan, this has proved to be most interesting.

* * *

_

As I ran blindly through the night, I vaguely realized that I had absolutely no clue where I was running. Some sort of instinct was all that kept me going, and so I concluded I must have been here a lot in my childhood.

_Just one more thing no one decided to tell me._

As I slowed to a walk, I realized I had been lead to the park. Unbeknownst to myself, the park had been my place of sanctuary in my childhood. The cherry blossom trees at the park were in full bloom, causing a light sprinkling of petals to layer the ground. I stopped by the swings, before sitting forlornly on one, swinging back and forth.

My once beautiful dress was now slightly muddy and town, which wasn't really surprising, seeing as I had jumped out of a window as well as run a couple of blocks or two to the park.

"Good evening, Sakura-chan." I heard a hauntingly musical voice drift across the park. Turning slightly towards the voice, I saw someone standing in the shadow of a cherry blossom tree.

"Um… Do I know you?" I muttered.

He chuckled. "Maybe this will make it clearer."

The man calmly walked out of the shadow of the tree, serenely brushing a few petals out of his hair. The lights from the lanterns in the park caused shadows to flit across his face. His dark hair was tied in a low ponytail, bangs framing an oddly familiar face.

"I…ta…chi," I murmured. I was not sure how I knew his name, as I had clearly never seen him before in my life. It just _was_. He could not be called any other names.

"Sakura." He nodded. "You know who I am?"

"Um … You're Sasuke's brother, right?"

"Correct," he purred. Itachi sauntered over to my side by the swings, grabbing the chain, causing my ride to slow to a halt. "Sakura, would you say you love my brother?"

After what just happened? Most definitely not!

"Of course not!" I spat out indignantly. "Three years ago, maybe, but now? No way!"

"Then," he asked, eyes, glinting darkly in the moonlight, "will it be okay," he paused, "if I do this?"

And then, he leaned down and kissed my nose.

"Or this?" he kissed my forehead.

"Or what about this?" then, eyes glinting darker still, he leaned down and kissed my mouth. Needless to say, I was definitely panicking inside.

_D-Did he just steal my first kiss?_

But then I remembered Sasuke. Who knew, really? My first kiss was probably ages ago, I just couldn't remember it. After all, in that last, sunset-lit picture, wasn't I kissing Sasuke? More importantly, was I even still a-

_Don't go there. Of course you are._

This comforted me slightly, but still… I turned my head to the side a bit. "What was that about, Itachi-san?" I was numb inside. This was a small thing compared to Sasuke's mistake. "I'm afraid I'll have to stop you. You see, I really don't need something like this right now," I stated it apathetically, staring blankly ahead.

"Why," he hissed. "What's wrong with it?" angrily, he bit down on the junction between my neck and shoulder. Alright, so that _definitely_ broke through my pity-sulk. Stifling a cry, I pushed him away.

"Itachi, I said no!" I shrieked, rubbing frantically at the red mark that appeared on my neck.

"Why not," he leaned down, kissing me again, "Red-chan?" he spun me around, making the chains on the swing clink together.

No way.

"You know about the ANBU?"

"Of course," he murmured. "After all, I used to be one."

His hand started creeping down my shoulder to my waist.

"NO, ITACHI!" I screamed, kicking him in the stomach. It sent him back a couple of feet, but unfortunately it only made things worse in the end. With a loud ripping sound, my dress split on one side, exposing my thigh and hip. Quickly, I decided to cut my losses. I ran.

_Crap, where's my knife when I need it?_

"You can run, Sakura, but you can't hide. Not from me," I heard him call. "And you wanna know something interesting?"

"What," I spat.

_"I'm_ the one who killed your parents. And guess what?_ You're next."_


	5. Aftermath

Chapter 5: Aftermath

"Hey! Hey, Sakura!" Sasuke called. Rather annoyed, he stalked up the stairs. "Hey, where are you?"

After his "disagreement" with Kakashi, they had both waited for Sakura to come crashing down the stairs, yelling her head off about how they had taken far too long and that she had given them a time limit of _five minutes_, and _no_, that did _not_ give them permission to take however long they want to talk. They waited for ten minutes before realizing if Sakura had intended to come downstairs, she would have done so long before. And so, our (not) so heroic prince Sasuke bravely volunteered to go looking for her.

Stepping into the library, he saw Sakura's purse on one of the armchairs.

"Sakura, I know you're in there," he drawled. "You'd better come out before Kakashi starts to yell at me for misplacing you or something."

Shaking his head, he strolled farther into the room, before tripping over something. Stumbling a bit, he whirled around, fully prepared to start cursing at whatever inanimate object had been foolish enough to trip him.

It was a book.

_Oh, no._

The memory book.

'_Not Sakura.'_

There were tears dotting the pages… and the wedding rings – _our wedding rings -_ were lying on the ground.

The window was open.

And Sakura wasn't there.

* * *

"Shhh, shhh. It's okay, Ugly. Don't cry, we don't want to ruin your face even more," Sai murmured.

Kakashi had called him, saying that Sakura was gone and that they couldn't find her anywhere, and if Sai knew were she was, please call him back as soon as possible, thank you very much. So he had left to search for Sakura, and he had found her. Because he knew her best. He _always_ knew.

She had been in her room, huddling under her blankets, sobbing. Sai had decided against calling Kakashi when he saw the look in her eyes, like her entire life had fallen apart. Of course, he didn't know exactly how close to the truth he was.

* * *

Sakura's room was big. A large silky curtain separated one corner of the room, and inside that corner was her bed. Or, rather, what she _insisted_ was a bed. It consisted of a large beanbag covered in various quilts and pillows, all jumbled together to make a sort of nest.

One wall was made entirely of one-way glass. Another held a walk-in closet and a large mirror, and the adjoining wall had a bathroom. In another corner was a black desk, with a charging laptop resting on top of it. The desk was neat and orderly, with her iPod and cell phone sitting beside a stack of books she used in her classes. On the wall above the desk were posters of some of her favorite band, and pictures, lots and lots of pictures.

Sakura and Ino, making faces at the camera.

Hinata, smiling softly.

Naruto and Kiba, arms around each other's shoulders.

Neji and Tenten holding hands, watching Lee fight Naruto in Karate match.

An indifferent Shino, standing by a smiling Kiba and a blushing Hinata.

Sakura, Ino, Tenten, and Hinata, all hugging and laughing.

Shikamaru, resting against a hill with Chouji.

Sakura giving Kakashi bunny ears, as he openly read his porn in public.

And then he saw a picture of himself, standing by an enraged Naruto with a blank smile on his face. The corner of the picture was missing.

It had only taken him a few seconds to locate the missing piece. It was Sasuke, glaring balefully at the camera from his position by Naruto's shoulder.

So now, Sai held the crying girl in his arms, nestled in the center of the beanbag. Sakura was wrapped in a blanket, her dress torn and muddy, her face streaked with tears.

As she choked out the entire painful story, Sai was there, rocking her back and forth like a child, listening intently to her. When she was done, the room was filled with a comfortable silence. Because that was Sai's gift; with Sakura, it was never uncomfortable. Not really. And it was times like this that she truly appreciated the fact that they could be sitting there, not saying anything, but everything was understood, and nothing was awkward. She loved him like a brother for it, and he was the only one she trusted at the moment.

Eventually, she fell asleep, her raspy breathing slowing down to a calmer, more peaceful rate. Slowly, Sai shifted her from in his arms to onto the beanbag. Grabbing a washcloth from the bathroom, he began to systematically scrub all the mud from her face. After searching through her drawers, he found a tank top and flannel pants for her to wear, and, politely averting his eyes, unzipped her ruined dress to slip her into the clothes. (He didn't bring attention to the suspicious-looking bruise on her neck. Some things, he figured, were better left unknown.) And then, once his work was done, he climbed onto the beanbag with her and pulled a blanket over them both.

"Thanks, asshole," she murmured.

"Anytime, Ugly."

And then he smiled, and for a few seconds, she could have sworn it had almost looked real.

* * *

Out of their minds with worry, Kakashi and Sasuke had temporarily teamed up and checked every single place they had ever associated with Sakura. The motorcycle was still there, so she couldn't have gone _that_ far, but she was an assassin, and Kakashi knew just how far she could travel on foot in the course of half an hour.

Sasuke had gone ahead to check the park and the ramen shop, while Kakashi had fretted and called every single person he knew of, searching for any leads.

At first, the chance of her actually going _home_ was slim to none, but as the hour dragged on and Sakura was nowhere to be found, Kakashi finally broke down and dragged Sasuke back to check.

When Kakashi had gone into her room and found her curled up next to Sai, he sighed as relief and joy swept through him. Sasuke, however, was on a totally different track of mind. One, Sakura was _in the arms of somebody other than him_. Who gives a crap if Sai was practically her brother? They weren't related, so it was _major_ blasphemy in the Book of Sasuke. Two, Sakura was in Sai's arms (refer to point one) with only a tank top and some pants on! And what was up with that guy's belly shirt? What was he, a stripper? Three, Sakura's dress was draped over the chair behind her desk, meaning she had either changed out of it herself, (which was highly unlikely, according to the dead expression on her face) or _that Sai guy had changed her clothes for her_. It was all Sasuke could do not to go over and punch Sai until his body was black and blue.

Stiffly, he turned around to face Kakashi. "Can I stay over? My house is too far away, and it's too late for me to drive."

Kakashi thought it over. What could one seventeen-year-old kid do? He mentally shuddered. Never mind. He didn't want to know.

Watching Kakashi glance not so subtly towards Sakura and Sai, Sasuke spat out, "I'll sleep in a guest room." His heart was cracking in two, and right now all he wanted to do was sleep. And maybe drink a bottle of vodka, while he was at it.

Kakashi agreed, and showed Sasuke the guest room. He stayed there for a while, thinking over his "relationship" (If you could call it that) with Sakura. Almost an hour later when he was sure everyone was asleep, he went into Sakura's room and placed her wedding ring onto her nightstand, glaring at _them_ the entire time.

'_No, not __**her**__ wedding ring, __**our**__ wedding ring.'_

He would show her. She couldn't get rid of him that easily. Because he knew that beneath the surface, she was the same Sakura he had fallen in love with all those years ago. All he had to do was make her remember all the good times they had together, and she would be his once again.


	6. The Clearing

Chapter 6: The Clearing

Jumping swiftly through the open window, he landed on the thick carpet inside, barely making a sound. But still, he heard a soft gasp when he arrived. Glancing upward, he gazed apathetically at large, frightened eyes, reflecting the soft glow of the moon.

"Who are you?" she whispered softly.

"I'm sorry," he answered back, giving her a mocking smile, "but it's the only way."

Her screams shattered the silence as the first rays of dawn lit up the sky.

* * *

When she woke up, she noticed that Sai was no longer there anymore.

_That bastard… probably left as soon as I fell asleep._

In truth, he had waited until six o'clock that morning, before finally leaving for fear that she would kill him for sleeping with her the entire night.

Of course, she didn't need to know that.

Walking over to the dresser, she reached for her brush, determined to tame her horrible bed-hair and find Sai and _kill him _(for the exact opposite reason then he had assumed). Her knuckle brushed against something hard, and on further inspection she saw it was a ring.

_Oh, god._

Gripping it tightly, she tossed it under the desk, where it joined another ring and a couple of photos. The diamond on top glanced off a corner of the desk, leaving a dent, before settling next to the golden band already lying on the floor.

She sat there, crying softly, when the phone rang. It was Kiba.

"What's wrong?" she mumbled.

When she answered, Kiba screamed, "Sakura, get over here… Hinata's in the hospital!"

* * *

Where am I?_ She had woken up in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by trees. The sunlight filtered through the trees, illuminating some of the pollen and dust that floated around._

_The sight before her astounded her. Before her were animals, animals that normally wouldn't behave together in the wild, playing like friends._

_A smoky gray owl, cooing lazily up in a tree._

_A large hawk rested in the tree opposite, glaring suspiciously at a small orange fox that was resting next to a pure white kitten with bright green eyes._

_A chicken started squawking, running away from a brown dog, which barked merrily and batted at the chicken's head._

_A small, cream-colored rabbit lay under the tree the owl was resting in, ear pricked in the direction of the cat and the fox._

_Butterflies were floating around, being poked at by a bright green, happy-go-lucky parrot. Another cat meowed, brown instead of white, walking over to the hawk, eyes glittering as it watched the parrot._

_A large tortoise was munching happily on grass at the edge of the clearing, and a pure black finch watched it with clear, calculating eyes._

_Then she heard a high, keening cry. As she twirled around, she saw the little fox, curled up in a little ball in the center of the clearing._

"_Oh, poor baby," she gasped. Rushing over to the fox, she reached out slowly, ready just in case it tried to bite her. The fox glared up at her through malevolent red eyes, before slowly lowering its head again, allowing her to place the fox in her lap. The animals around her seemed to fade out and blur curiously, the clearing becoming quiet and empty once more._

"_It's okay, little one, you're safe now," she crooned, petting it softly. As she did, she glanced through the trees ringing the clearing. Beyond them was a strange land, made up of blurry pictures pulsing through the air before fading into darkness. She could hear a dog howling, and someone screaming in so much pain and fury it made her shiver. She turned away, for the edge of the clearing scared her, and she did not wish to return._

_The edge slowly blurred back into darkness, the image of a darkened hospital room fading to black.

* * *

_

"Why didn't you protect her?" Kiba howled, throwing a punch at Neji. "It should have been you!"

"Hey!" Tenten bristled, glaring at Kiba. "Don't blame him!"

"It's his fault," he hissed, breathing harshly. "All his fault. And now she's gone. Might never come back. Isn't this why you and your _Branch Family _are there? Aren't you there to protect the Main Branch! To protect Hinata?"

"You think I don't regret it?" Neji roared, throwing himself at Kiba. "You think I haven't been beating myself up over this? You think I don't _care_?"

Hiashi glared at Naruto from across the room, Hanabi sitting quietly by his side. _D__o something, you fool,_ his expression read. _You say you love her, now prove it._

"Hey- hey! Break it up!" Naruto demanded, jumping in between Kiba and Neji. "Don't do this! How do you think she would feel if she knew you were fighting at a time like this?"

Kiba threw an angry look at the figure on the bed. Looked at her pale, thin face. Heard the stuttering beeps of the heart monitor. "_That_," he hissed, "isn't her. That _thing _is not Hinata."

Because Hinata wouldn't do this. She was smart. She wouldn't let herself get into something like this. Dammit, _he_ wouldn't let her get into something like this! She was like a combination of a mother, sister, childhood crush, and best friend, all in one, and he'll be damned if he lost her. She was his loved one, and he would never let her go.

Looking at her like this, pale and on the brink of death, it made him so _sick_. It wasn't like her to be so pale and lifeless. No. He couldn't stay here, not while she was like this. He could already feel bile rising in his throat, could feel the tears burning in his eyes.

He strode out of the room, head down. Watching him quietly, Naruto leaned over Hinata and gently kissed her brow.

"Please get better, Hinata-chan," he whispered. "Please, for all of us."

* * *

_April 20, 2008_

_I never returned to that clearing again. I still like to think that the spirits of my friends were watching over me in a time of need, but as I never went back I guess we'll never know for sure. I had been in a coma for a week, and as I was sleeping I suppose my body unconsciously thought over the attack._

_That man… I pity him, truly. As he worked, he explained it all to me, even as he ripped the clothes from my body and bruised me to make it seem like rape. I could tell it brought him no pleasure; indeed, he seemed to work almost robotically, but it had to be done. I do not know why he's after Sakura-chan, but he just needs some love, and this horribly fake imitation of it is all he can find. I never found out his name._

_Never shall I let anyone know of what happened that night, for I know they will go searching for him and this will only result in hurt. Most of all, I cannot let Sasuke know; his love for Sakura will not let him rest until someone dies._

_This shall be my darkest secret, hidden forever from the world. I hope no one will ever come to know about this._


End file.
